WHAP Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for WHAP review, focusing on key terms and concepts from the 1450-1750 CE period.

Renaissance

A period in European history marking a renewed interest in classical art, literature, and philosophy.

Humanism

A philosophical movement emphasizing human achievements and capabilities, rather than divine intervention.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious reform movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church.

Indulgences

Payments to the Church that insured eternal salvation.

Heliocentric Theory

A theory that the earth and all other planets rotate around the sun.

Racism

The belief that one's own race is superior to others, often used to justify discrimination and oppression.

Ethnocentrism

The attitude that one's own culture is superior to others.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Viceroy

A system European rulers used to control colonies by appointing personal representatives to rule in the king's name.

Gunpowder Empire

A land-based empire that expands and maintains power through the use of gunpowder.

Janissaries

Elite infantry units formed of captured Balkan Christians as boys who became skilled soliders and bureaucrats.

Daimyo

Powerful regional lords who operated fairly independently from the shoguns before the early 17th century.

Alternate Attendance

The practice of daimyos spending every other year at the Tokugawa shogun's court.

Absolutism

Government in which the king held all power.

Divine Right

The belief in the god-given authority to rule.

Bourgeoisie

A new class that the French called the bourgeoisie, meaning town dwellers.

Mercantilism

Economic system designed to benifit the mother country.

Middle Passage

The route that carried African slaves to the New World.

Mita

Inca labor system adopted by the Spanish.

Encomienda

System where natives in an area were placed under the authority of Spanish bosses, who could extract labor and tribute according to the needs of the area.